Juniper Networks, a provider of innovative software, silicon and systems, announced that Premier Media Group, a sports producer and broadcaster, has chosen Juniper Networks' (News - Alert) switching and routing solutions to deliver high-definition content to its FOX SPORTS customers.

PMG (News - Alert) officials said the high-definition production places heavy demands on contribution and production networks, which prompted the company move from point-to-point satellite links to a high-performance virtual private network, with Gigabit Ethernet fiber links, for transmitting live video footage from 16 major stadiums around the country.

The "new network" that runs on Junos operating system deploys Juniper's Virtual Chassis fabric technology on the EX4200 Ethernet Switches, which eliminates the need for an aggregation layer -- a primary source of complexity in the network, the company said.

EX4200 switches with Virtual Chassis technology enables up to 10 interconnected switches to operate as a single logical device. They are ideal for outside broadcast applications as they offer the high-availability and reliability of a carrier-class system with the economics, flexibility and modest space requirements of stackable platforms.

The EX4200 switches are installed in PMG' s 12 outside broadcast units and hook up to its carrier's optical network interface at each stadium, enabling connection via the virtual private network or "VPN" to the Fox Sports TV center.

Juniper Networks' MX240 Ethernet Services Routers are deployed in a high-availability configuration at the Sydney center, which has also implemented the Juniper Networks Network and Security Manager or "NSM," according to company officials.

PMG' s FOX SPORTS broadcasts an average of 20 hours of live sports per day to 2.2 million Australian homes through the FOXTEL, AUSTAR and Optus (News - Alert) subscription television services.

"Live television broadcasting demands the highest network reliability and capacity with low latency and jitter," Mike Banic, vice president of enterprise marketing for Juniper Networks, said. "The new network with a single-sourced Junos operating system increases reliability by eliminating complexities, streamlining operations and improving management controls for a better experience."

Banic further said the simplified new network architecture removes high latency and jitter to deliver a premium viewing experience for PMG's customers and reduces the company's capital and operational costs.

Juniper Networks recently introduced an innovative set of tools under their Partner Solution Development Platform or "PSDP," TMCnet reported. The program enables customers and partners to develop their own specialized applications for their networking platforms.

Rajani Baburajan is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Rajani's articles, please visit her columnist page.